The Book Problem

I am guessing that some of you are like me, and you have a book problem. You have too many books, and yet there are more books that you want. I actually have a stack of books that I am discarding. Prudently, I will try to sell or trade them first.

A wonderful friend gave me a gift card to Barnes and Noble, and I was ordering two books today to use it. Did you know that if you order more than $25 worth of books that they will ship it to your house for free? Yes, it is amazing. They did not have my books in stock anyway, so they are sending them to me. This is a triple delight: the gift card, the new books, and a box delivered to my house. I love opening gifts and I love getting boxes in the mail, even if I know what it is because I ordered it! Also, there is a little money left on the card which I can use at the B & N coffee shop the next time that I am there. Yes!!!

Also, I am reading a list of Sherlock Holmes mysteries for the book club on Thursday. I am actually enjoying them. I found a collection of them at the library. I really like the idea of having a deadline for book reading because then I make it a priority of sorts, and actually get going on it. I should have gotten going on it sooner, but at least, I am going. Next time, I will work on getting going on it a little sooner.

Afterthought: I did not collect any money for the airplane fund, and this gift card was totally unrelated to that appeal for funds. It was given to me by a friend as a thank you for our hospitality when they came to town. My dear regular readers would already know these things, but one never knows who reads your blog. After my BIL's experience with the FAA reading his blog, I thought that I should make clear that the airplane fund was a total spoof for the FCC. And for the FAA for that matter, since it was supposedly, "an airplane fund." Also, I did not cross state lines or commit a felony, that is for the FBI. Additionally, I did not use any points: that is for Weight Watchers. If the Statesman is reading this, you can speak with my attorney, Mr. Peters. Of course, he will charge you on an hourly basis, as he should.

What was I doing 30 years ago today? I was wearing an ill-fitting dress at Meadowdale Methodist,as my sister's bridesmaid. They are still married.

The Power of Spiritual Alignment

This sounds like a new age book, but it is not. I just wanted to clarify that for you, dear reader. The subtitle is: Living According to the Seven Firsts of Jesus.

First, seek the kingdom, aligning your priorities
First remove the log from your own eye, aligning your attitudes.
First, be reconciled to your brother, aligning your relationships.
First, bind the strong man, aligning your authority.
First, the greatest commandment, aligning your heart with God's.
First, cleanse the inside, aligning your inner world.
First day of the week, aligning with his body.

I like the ideas that I have encountered so far. Mr. Sinta looked over the introduction and said that some of his ideas are a stretch. So far, it has been helpful for me, but this is summer, and I read a novel this weekend, Sagebrush Ranch which is about a young woman sent from San Francisco to live on a ranch in eastern Oregon in the 1880's. Eastern Oregon is desolate now. I cannot imagine it then. Probably in the dictionary under "desolate" - there should be one additional numbered definition that simply says "just like an Eastern Oregon ranch."

I was so tired on Sunday that when we rode our bikes up the Capitol Blvd. hill, Mr. Sinta had to wait for me at the top, and he just had a heart attack. I took 2 or 3 naps and was generally wiped out. I think it was the run Saturday coupled with a 35 minute bike ride to and from where we were running that got me in the end. Today is a day off from training, and I am glad.

Training

Today was a big day for me because I am training for the Pocatello Half right now. I think that a half is about 13 miles. Today I met with my coach and my team with the plan to go seven miles. My furthest distance previous to this was 10 K which I think is about 6 miles. Anyway, it went very well. I have been riding my bike to work and to church and other places this week. My coach said bike riding uses different muscles than running does, but those muscles are supportive to running. In other words, biking as a cross training activity will strengthen me for running. Hooray! God is good. I wore a gray tank top when running; I think it was a fashion f.p. (mistake) because you can see every sweat mark. Of course, I wore every sweat mark happily all the way home on my bike.

Feeling Stupid

Tonight Mr. Sinta and I went on a walk in the neighborhood. Our neighbors,pyromaniacs, told us to walk over to the side of the street because a very large homemade firework in a very large pop bottle was able to go off. We obliged them and walked in their yard to go around. Just as we got to the corner, it went off and traveled about 100-150 feet in the air. It looked like it was coming down right for us and of course, I screamed and tried to pull Mr. Sinta away to protect him. I did not realize it, but I have become very protective of him since his heart attack. The incendiary device ended up landing in the top of a tree, and came absolutely nowhere near us. I felt very stupid. I guess I am a little afraid of fireworks, especially illegal ones, and I hate them.

The walk had a happy part because we ran into Mr. and Mrs. P., our old friends who have become pastors at Vineyard Boise. We were able to talk and catch up on each others' children's lives. They were pushing 2 of their 4 grandchildren in strollers. I told them that Aimee does not plan to have children for 5 years. They laughed and said, "It is nice to have plans."

Maybe sometime we will have someone to push around the neighborhood. There's a thought.

Airplane Fund

I am in kind of a hurry, but I would just like to thank everyone for donations to the Airplane Fund. For those of you who have procrastinated, you still have time to send in a donation of any amount. I promise you will not be disappointed. Totally and completely, ALL DONATIONS will do directly to the Airplane Fund.

Thanks again!

Change Your Life

Do you ever watch those movies in which the main character wakes up one day unhappy with his/her life and vows to make big, dramatic changes?

I think that those are generally illogical movies because the thing that frustrates the person is the actions of others and how they inter-relate or fail to relate in a healthy way. Basically, they vow, not to have deep interior authentic change, but to move to a new set of circumstances, unaware that they are taking their troubles with them.

I had one of those "Aha - time to wake up" moments last night in my small group meeting. I am not moving to Des Moines to start over. I feel I must tell you at this point that Des Moines is French for Void of All Life, just in case you are at a crisis moment and thinking of making a big, dramatic change. If you are thinking of moving to Iowa, someone needs to grab you by the shoulders and shake you until your brain becomes connected to your nervous system once more.

With my revelation came the knowledge that I need to lean more in the direction of faith and trusting God, and less in the direction of pessimism and unbelief. My negativity has made me quite the critic in ways that are not synergistic to say the least.

Also, would you like to send donations to my Airplane Fund? It seems like when Christians make big life changes that suddenly they start stumping for some non-profit cause and insisting that everyone should give them money. Since I am making a life change, and you do stand to benefit because you read my blog, you should consider sending an envelope filled with money to my home address. Mark it, "Airplane Fund."

Things I Am Grateful For

Last week was a very hard week because of Mr.Sinta's heart attack.

This week has been very stressful for different reasons which I will not reiterate. I will relate the following stressful story which has a happy ending.

Tonight, when I was really stressed, I left the house for the grocery store. At one particularly busy corner, I was stopped for a red light when a biker pulled up beside me. He appeared to fall down in front of my car's wheels, and I thought my car lurched forward slightly in the interim. My engine died. This is mega stress. I honestly thought that I had accidentally run over a biker who was already on the pavement. As I was getting out of my car, he stood up. I had not done anything. His chain fell off, and he bent over to try to adjust it. As he did so, he lost his balance and fell off of his bike right in front of my car. He was embarrassed and not stressed at all. I told him that he scared the bejeevers out of me. He assured me that he was absolutely fine. I must have imagined my car lurching forward. I was now headed to the grocery store stressed and thankful that I did not kill another human being at the same time. This is the happy ending.

It is a little different than the wedding driving story. Cars are stressful.

So, in lieu of doing something else, I am going to give thanks to the Lord. You may hang out with me and give thanks or go watch Nerf Office Wars again. I am not insulted.

Dear God,

I am thankful that I am alive, and the power is on because I am no good at journaling.

I am thankful that each of my family members is alive. Today, Mr. Sinta found out that the window washer's daughter died tragically last year. Please comfort this man; he is still grieving.

I am thankful that I am healthy enough to train for a marathon.

I am thankful for a house to live in, and for food in the refrigerator.

I am thankful that the oven works even though it was too hot to use it tonight.

I am thankful for a bike to ride to work, and that I did not accidentally run over it while backing the car out of the garage because I forgot to put it away after work.

I am thankful that I was able to reconcile four bank statements today, and everything balanced.

I am thankful for the many Bibles that I own, and for my church home. Thank you that I am not being excommunicated, or in trouble with the pastor in any way. Thank you that he even came to the hospital and prayed for Mr. Sinta last week.

Thank you for Bob and Shirley and how much they came to see us last week. I felt really cared about, and I really needed to feel cared about.

Thank you for the small group of ladies that I meet with each week.

Thank you for my prayer partners who are so supportive right now.

Thank you for my hard working husband who takes us to church. I have friends who only dream of those things.

Thank you that my mom is alive and that she likes me. Teresa's mom is alive and hasn't spoken to her for 20 years, and now her grandma, who speaks to her, is dying. Please give her special grace as she goes back to hopefully see her one last time.

Thank you for lots of friends.

Thank you for the cars working.

Thank you for smart, hard working kids who hug me sometimes even when I don't deserve it at all, and rarely mention my 18,000 parenting mistakes that they could mention each time we are together. Thank you that they still speak to me at all, and that they have not gone on Oprah to do a home school expose.

Thank you for being my Shepherd and leading me even when I don't understand. Thank you that understanding is not a necessary part of obeying, or I couldn't.

Thank you that You are God. Always Faithful. And I like Your white horse. If it were up to me, I would make You wear a cape because You seem to rescue me so often.

Thank you for commanding us not to worry because then we can go to sleep knowing it is okay not to be worrying about things.

Thank you that Your mercies are new every morning or we would be burnt toast in our beds when we wake up tomorrow.

Good night.